1.15 Child Abuse Laws: Not a Story of Failure, but of Progress & Hope

“As you read this sentence, a social worker somewhere is making
a decision that will protect a child. As we look back across
history, it is clear that the effort to protect children is not a
story of failure, but a story of progress and hope. The child
protection system is far from perfect, and much remains to be done,
but, at the same time, much has been accomplished. “ (John B.
Myers, A Short History of Child Protection in America)

This episode is more research, less true crime, but it's
something listeners have been asking for!

The law is not going solve child abuse, but we have very few
ways as a society to respond vigorously to abuse, and legal
endeavors seem to be a logical effort.

When we speak of legal changes, there are a few different main
ideas. First, we’ll talk about the shift in penal codes, in
which child abuse became a felony in many states. Second,
we’ll discuss the revisions to CAPTA (Child Abuse and Prevention T
Act) in 1977, third, we’ll cover the reassertion of juvenile courts
over social services, and with that we’ll feature one of the most
important changes (in my opinion) of children having
court-appointed advocates.